It is known that alpha-aminocaprolactam ("ACL") exists in the form of enantiomeric optical isomers, the D-form and the L-form. It is further known that the racemic mixture of these forms can be resolved, i.e. separated, by producing the D, L- (i.e. racemic) mixture of the aminocaprolactam complex with nickelous chloride in situ in solution, at concentration resulting in supersaturation; then preferentially crystallizing the desired form, e.g. the L-form, from such solution by use of seed crystals of the desired form. It is also known that when the complex with nickelous chloride is used for such resolution, conditions can be adopted under which the racemization of the undesired form of the complex into the desired form proceeds simultaneously with the resolution process. The resulting desired enantiomer of the complex can then be decomposed to afford the desired alpha-aminocaprolactam enantiomer; and this enantiomer can be converted to the corresponding enantiomer of lysine e.g. to L-lysine, a valuable nutritional product. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,320 of Oct. 26, 1976 to Sifniades, Boyle, and Van Peppen.
The process of resolution of the enantiomer mixture and simultaneous racemization of the undesired enantiomer to replenish the mixture, described in the above patent, is a useful advance in the art. However, it would be desirable to obtain the results of that patent without necessity of using seed crystals of the desired enantiomeric form of the complex at the startup, when the mixture of D- and L-enantiomers is the racemic mixture.
The present invention enables resolution of racemic mixtures of the nickelous chloride complexes with alpha-aminocaprolactam without use of seed crystals of the desired enantiomer of the ACL/NiCl.sub.2 complex.